rat race
noun Informal.
any exhausting, unremitting, and usually competitive activity or routine, especially a pressured urban working life spent trying to get ahead with little time left for leisure, contemplation, etc.
Origin of rat race
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
Words nearby rat race
rat guard,
rat islands,
rat kangaroo,
rat on,
rat pack,
rat race,
rat snake,
rat tamer,
rat terrier,
rat's nest,
rat-a-tat
British Dictionary definitions for rat race
rat race
noun
a continual routine of hectic competitive activity
working in the City is a real rat race
Idioms and Phrases with rat race
rat race
Fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]